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1st Sunday of Lent, Year A – 2020

28 février 2020
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: desire, escape, Gn.2:7-9; 3:1-7, knowledge, naked, Révélation, Temptation, to see

To see in order to know – this is a very human desire, a normal aspiration for human beings.
The 1st reading (Gn.2:7-9; 3:1-7) speaks about it and reveals the outcome of this natural inclination.

The result is shown in a two-fold tableau, could we say.

“The serpent said to the woman, 
‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’.”
 
“They ate… the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized they were naked.”
 
They acquired knowledge, yes, but not the one they were hoping for.
What they learnt was that they were not what they thought they were.
They were faced with their nakedness, that is: their emptiness, their powerlessness.
They saw so clearly all that is missing in a human being… without God.

The human being trying to do things by himself, going his way,
searching for meaning where there is none, aiming at greatness where there is only absurdity.
It is a futile attempt, that of trying to… escape God –
or to venture to know him without listening to the revelation of himself…

But it remains an ever-present temptation.

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/1er-dimanche-du-careme-annee-a-2020/

 

Source: Image: Free Bible Images

4th Sunday of Lent, Year B

9 mars 2018
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: accept, activities, bargain, choices, décisions, desire, discovery, God's gifts, God's merc, God's Spirit, inaction, Lent, offer, options, plans

When told that something is free, or at a big discount, some people will rush to benefit from the offer.
Others may be more suspicious wondering whether this is a genuine bargain or not.

Could it be that we react in a similar way when what is on offer is… from God?!
We, human beings, have sometimes this strange attitude of wanting to prove ourselves to God…
True, it has often been said to us that we must earn what we want.
We should make efforts, sacrifices, and gain merits!

It is definitely not Paul’s conviction which he shares with the first Christians of Ephesus.
He writes to them (2nd reading – Eph.2:4-10):

“God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy…
It is through grace that you have been saved.”
 
And a few lines further in the text, Paul repeats it:
“It is by grace that you have been saved,
not by anything that you have done, but by a gift from God.”
 
Does this mean then that we have nothing to do, simply wait for God to pour his gifts in our lives?
If his blessings are a gift, then we need not strive to be better and do better…

We most certainly have something to do – something yes, simple, yet which we sometimes find difficult.
Our part is to DESIRE and to ACCEPT –
to DESIRE God’s intervention and to ACCEPT his action in our lives, in our very selves.
We are sometimes like the stubborn child, stubborn in our refusal to be guided by God’s Spirit –

  • guided in our options and choices,
  • guided in our plans and decisions,
  • guided in our activities and… our purposeful inaction…

We pretend that we can ‘handle it’, we can manage on our own.

The truth of the matter is that… we don’t do so well!
And all the while God offers his overabundant and generous gifts…
No wonder we struggle and end up dispirited.
God’s Spirit is awaiting our… desire and acceptance to work wonders in us, for us, through us!

Lent is a good time for such a discovery!

Note: Another reflection is available in French on a different theme at: https://image-i-nations.com/4e-dimanche-careme-annee-b/

and a second short one at: https://image-i-nations.com/misericorde-2/

and a video on the gospel personnage of Nicodemus at: https://image-i-nations.com/homme-sage-desirait-savoir-davantage/

Source: Images: cleinman.com  Amazon.com   (handle it)

32nd Sunday of Year A

9 novembre 2017
Nicole Gregoire
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Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: desire, eagerness, follow God's way, initiative, looking at God, picture, recognise, réflection, see in a different way, seraching, thème, Wis.6:12-16, worthiness

What do you see on this black and white picture?
No, no, this question is NOT meant to be a psychology test.
Its aim is to illustrate the theme of our reflection on the 1st reading of this Sunday (32nd Sunday of Year A – Wis.6:12-16).
We will try to: SEE THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

Looking at the black and white illustration here, some people will say they see the profile of two identical faces.
Others will tell you that they can recognize a white vase with a large opening.
Are the people of both groups right?
They are! They simply look at the design in a different way.

What if we did the same… with God?!
You wonder in which direction this reflection is going.
You ask yourself what is involved in ‘looking at God in a different way’.

We are often told to search for God.
We are reminded to look for him till we have found him.
We are taught to follow his ways.

Today’s reading of the Book of Wisdom tells us:

“Wisdom (is) quick to anticipate those who desire her,
she makes herself known to them…
She herself walks about looking for those worthy of her…
In every thought of theirs coming to meet them.”

Here, Wisdom – in fact: God’s Spirit – is the one
who anticipates,
who is first to search for us, looks for us, comes to us.

We should NOT be put off by the words “those worthy of her”,
The previous line says clearly: “those who desire her”.
We can never be worthy of God!
What he looks for is not worthiness but eagerness to meet him.

He does not ask for our merits – he is the one who can make us pleasing to him!
What he wants is simply our desire, yes, our desire answering his!

So, how about… LOOKING AT GOD IN A DIFFERENT WAY, this week?…
Seeing him as the one who is always the first, taking the initiative –
the initiative in searching for us, coming our way and finding us…

Source: Image: marriageprepbeginnings.com

 

1st Sunday of Lent, Year A

2 mars 2017
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: arrogance, compassion, desire, domination, Jesus' temptations, magnet, Mt.4:1-11, pleasure, power, pride, respect, selfish enjoyment, shared joy, Temptation, urge, wanting

  We are all familiar with the use of magnets. A mechanic finds very useful a screwdriver with a magnet to gather screws and bolts.
A seamstress also sees as very practical her scissors with a magnet to pick up pins scattered on the floor.
And many of us have those small magnetic items stuck on the door of the fridge as ‘Bear in mind’ message holders.

These items exert a strong pull on different objects and, as such, I find them an excellent example to illustrate what… temptation is!
For this is very much the theme of this 1st Sunday of Lent, Year A.

What is a temptation really?
We all know it… from experience!
It is a strong pull, a powerful urge awakening in us a desire.
It leads us to want, to want urgently, absolutely, something… someone…

The scene of Jesus’ temptations in today’s gospel (Mt.4:1-11) shows temptation emerging mostly in 3 areas – the areas of… the 3 Ps: Pride – Power – Pleasure.

And our own lives will provide occasions a-plenty, for temptation to manifest itself in the same 3 areas:

PRIDE: Too much arrogance – Not enough respect for others.
POWER: Too much domination – Not enough compassion.
PLEASURE: Too much selfish enjoyment – Not enough true joy shared with others.

Lent is a good period to look precisely at this: the too much and the not enough aspects of our lives and… to increase and to diminish the respective amounts according to the gospel message!

Source: Images:  www.dhgate.com;  Amazon.com;; AliExpress.com;  storiesnow.com